Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1887-02-24

Secretary nagnrdss mfstske - snr-
SenaestnH am<rsean surasafcsssn.


fGsfk n ClBsinasfs Ksquirsr.l
whlse IL Waahinefsna lawyer cafIsl
ny sssenfioa g Secretary Bayard'a %
stltcn upon tie Alaska 6sheEy uasstion
De ssksd ms II had paid any zttenfior
80 tbal Feuots f1risdiotiou. e. IL GO
aeFnsa tee whole question Of BFifizi
ana Canadian waters. He the1 rnad.
the foilcsiaQ statement. Mr.. BavaFd
has released tkEss British vessefs whist
uefs eapsafod for yioistions sf IN
AEsericsn t1Fisdietion ard wers coa
demned b. Coart. He bsid that encl
vessels oouid not Be seized il opsE
waters 90 . greater distance fEsm fhi
coast than three mfisa- He thus Ia
gigsn away the Amefica1 ri9hf 10 fon
hundred miles II cisssd seas whieh weFl
consigned 70 - b. the k1ssisns ghsr
90 pnrchsssd Alaska and the islands
Nj. SGmner TOOK thai view 10 his eel
orate6 speech, which vas she most 81
nanstjve Of any @ue delivered on to-
snbfsct OF Ai8sks - the time thst tn
treaty for Is cession VS. under eoasid-
Grafton He showed that we had
acquired that absolute Jurisdiction ovel
the Northern Paciao walsh Russia had
| maiDsained b. proclamation and bel
naval forca. No other yiss has bssu
taken Of eur FiRhfa 10 thOas water
until eu6deBly Mr.. BsyaFd gives az
away - be has done. The consequence
are most hnmiiiasinQ for this country
and there will undoubtedly Be revision
Of Mr.. BayaFd's position"
Said /: " What particular interest Of
0ars 10 mol, sted u abandoning the
| Jurisdiction Of tbs closed seas thereT
Why, oBs Interest IL exposed %
destruction, which 10 The only interest
Of muah importance in all Alaska,
oamsly: the fur seals. The United
StaGes Government has recovered by
the Esnting Of the fur seal Islands 81
600 600 more money than ell Alaska cost
%. When ws acquired Alaska. Mr..
sumner maze ne references whatever TO
these fur seal possessions. They were
Get kaoUn, generally speaking. 20 the
Americans. Tbs Russians had q line
drawn from the middle Of BehFinR
Straits. passing 10 the westward OF the
most western AieutiAn Island. They
gave as not only all the land within
that line, bat N Arine rights as sell, for
there can be property 10 waters 80 well
a. in laCdz. The Russians intended
that the Americans shsnld maintain
that marine Jurisdiction Just IS they
had done. IL always mas been =
matter Of wonder that Russia les us
have those tWo fur seal islands. They
we're valuable, and they oo1ld very
readily have omitted them from the
rest Of the concession. The reason they
let rs have them was probably I've fold.
The Russians kept themselves some
ISLANDS nearer the Asiatic shores, 90
which these seals also repaired. They
thought that the Americans. not under
standing the fur seal business, would
probably modest the seals, and that
they would leave those exposed islands
and 90 over 50 their breeding grounds.
This has not been the case, because the
Americans very soon Rfssped the situa-
ton, and made an important interest
out Of the fur seals. But Russia bad
another purpoaa In selling that general
region 20 America. They wanted 70
pat In the possession 81 q country habit
uaIly friendly With them, and which
vas also a nAval power, the protection
II these northern seas, being apprehen-
sive that on questions of conquest to-
ward Turkey and India they would one
day fall out with England. Then they
reasoned that with American money,
aud With Russia's military power, they
could hold themselves against the Brit
ish With success. The Russians have
more ability in diplomacy than any
other living race of statesmen; they see
farther ahead, aud they did NOS sell out
Alaska fFom any small ordinary motives
Of gain. They wanted 10 pat It cut OF
their power ever 90 have any fupture
uith the citizens Of the United States,
and to bring America close 50 the Asia
ITO shores IN friendly reciprocity with
them. Mr.. Bayard's attitude has dished
the whole matter. he has by biz inter
probation Of our mRFintime rights sur.
rendered those four hundred miles oil
closed seas, which we're formally de.
elsred closed by Russia one hundred
years ago. And yea will remembg
that Peter the Great himself Supervised
the planning of vessels OF war which
we're 20 be boilt on the Pacific, and that
he sent cut officers and sailors who
made With the greatest difficulty and
exposure, the long journey across Asia
fhsy built those vessels and launched
them, aud from that time until Mr.
ntNAJQ ueOfsiOu t1uH6 A0Ebuehu acot
have been considered private property
OF kossia. which made over to the
Ueited states all those rights she had
proclaimed and guarded.
"NoE, the fact is that by Mr.. RAyaEd'I
decision the fur 81 al business 10 Roiue
60 be destroyed. For the past two OF
three years British and other predatory
vessels have made their Uay into thost
waters, and have, without landing on
the islands, shot aud captured the seals
a. they were making their way through
the waters and shoals. Tue far seals
are exceedinaly timid. and II annoyed
they leave the place they have frequent
cd aud 20 and dnd another breed 'nR
ground. TIE British vessels were seized
and condemned IN our CJaris for tnis
and OF treapass. It Is true that the
british 0overRment protested against
their seizure. but Mr.. BAyaFd gave tbs
vessels up without taking into consid-
GRAFTON the much larger question OF
American Jurisdiction"
Hos much do thosesfur seal islands
pay the Uaited States every yeaF2"
=" They pay half million dollars.
When the lssseea Of the islands kilI 40
10 Vi. iinait, which IL 10000 seals, the
Government eets some $500, 0O0 d lFsctl,
TIE company pays &55.OO0 = year in see
nest 81 zoe. and after that between g.
and % far every skin they Rst. Tne-e
skins all have 20 be dressed and dyed
70 England. aud then when they osme
back 70 the Uaited States they pay 81
per cent. duty, which makes the olhsr
f3oo,0O0. We paid 81 900 90 for Alaska,
ana Ne have received more than that
Amoant of money baek already out OF
this one possession. Alaska, therefore,
has not ooss toe United states anything
40 20 this time"
why are ID e skins not bronght "a
the Uaited States aud cured aud dyed p
"Beoaase there Are only three persons
IN the wOFid who know how 10 prepars
them. TIE fur seal is hairy animal
aud in col Is GOT much different frr n
a rabbit. being kind Of erayish animal
Al the hair hss 10 be taken from thoss
skins 80 thai tbe skin OF .nr propeF Il
bsuught to light Then tney are All
dyed one celeF aud manufactured. Bat
the Alaska Commercial Company has 4
small interest. comparatively, AZ present
IN this question, bseaase the lease end,
In 1880, and has only three mere year.
10 ras- Toe other question Of exclasiv,
Amerinf passessloo Of these water
wili lssd 60 international troubles which
the purchase Of Alaska Was designed 4